RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out Saudi Arabia as a model for a reimagined Middle East, using the first major foreign trip of his term to emphasize the promise of economic prosperity over instability in a region reeling from multiple wars.
Offering partnership to longtime foes, Trump said he would move to lift sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with the new government led by a former insurgent, and he touted the U.S. role in bringing about a fragile ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis. But Trump also indicated his patience was not endless, as he urged Iran to make a new nuclear deal with the U.S. or risk severe economic and military consequences.
With his carrot and stick approach, Trump gave the clearest indication yet of his vision for remaking the region, where goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability.
Trump also made a pitch to Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords started in his first term and recognize Israel. And he envisioned a hopeful future for the people of Gaza — emphasizing they must first cast off the influence of Hamas.
“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound,” Trump said as he laid out his outlook for the region in a speech at an investment forum.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, welcomed Trump to the kingdom with royal flourishes and lavished attention on him at every turn. It was a stark contrast to the crown prince’s awkward fist bump in 2022 with then-President Joe Biden, who tried to avoid being seen on camera shaking hands with him during a visit to the kingdom.
Trump shows disdain for ‘nation-builders’ and interventionists
The Republican president made the case for a vision centered in pragmatism. It's something he sees as a necessity for the U.S., which he believes is still feeling the ill effects of 20 years of "endless war" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves," Trump said.
Trump used the moment to extend an olive branch to Iran and urge its leaders to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program. But he also warned that this opportunity to find a diplomatic solution “won't last forever.”
“If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch ... we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero,” he said.
The latest entreaty to Tehran comes days after Trump dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Iranian officials for a fourth round of talks aimed at persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
Trump, in his speech, also said he hoped Saudi Arabia will recognize Israel “in your own time.”
Saudi Arabia long has maintained that recognition of Israel is tied to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the lines of Israel’s 1967 borders. Under the Biden administration, there was a push for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel as part of a major diplomatic deal. However, the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel upended those plans and sent the region into one of the worst periods it has faced.
Trump moving to restore relations with new leader of Syria
Separately, Trump announced he was lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria. He is expected to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who last year led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar Assad.
The U.S. has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow suit, believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad’s government during a decadelong civil war.
Trump said calls from Gulf leaders as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shaped his surprise announcement.
“So I say, good luck, Syria, show us something very special like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia,” Trump said.
Prince Mohammed carefully choreographed the visit as he looked to flatter Trump.
The de facto Saudi leader greeted Trump warmly as he stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport. The two leaders then retreated to a grand hall at the Riyadh airport, where Trump and his aides were served traditional Arabic coffee by waiting attendants wearing ceremonial gun belts.
The leaders signed more than a dozen agreements to increase cooperation between their governments' militaries, justice departments and cultural institutions.
The crown prince has already committed to some $600 billion in new Saudi investment in the U.S. And Trump teased $1 trillion would be even better.
Fighter jet escort
The pomp began before Trump even landed. Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s provided an honorary escort for Air Force One as it approached the kingdom’s capital — an exceptionally rare sight.
Trump and Prince Mohammed also took part in a formal greeting and lunch at the Royal Court at Al Yamamah Palace, gathering with guests and aides in an ornate room with blue and gold accents and massive crystal chandeliers. As he greeted business titans with Trump by his side, the crown prince was animated and smiling.
Biden's 2022 visit was far more restrained. At the time, Prince Mohammed’s reputation had been badly damaged by a U.S. intelligence determination that he had ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
But that dark moment appeared to be distant memory for the prince on Tuesday as he rubbed elbows with high-profile business executives — including Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — in front of the cameras and with Trump by his side.
Trump slammed Biden for “spurning” a “most trusted and long-standing partner."
“We have great partners in the world, but we have none stronger and nobody like the gentleman that’s right before me,” Trump said of the prince. “He’s your greatest representative.”
Later, the crown prince feted Trump with an intimate state dinner at Ad-Diriyah, a UNESCO heritage site that is the birthplace of the first Saudi state and the location of a major development project championed by the crown prince.
Qatar and UAE next
The three countries on Trump's itinerary — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are places where the Trump Organization, run by Trump's two oldest sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar.
Trump planned to announce deals at all three stops during the Mideast swing, initiatives that will touch on artificial intelligence, expanding energy cooperation and beyond.
.And Trump believes more deals with Saudi Arabia should be in the offing.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said at one point with a smiling crown prince sitting nearby.
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Madhani reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani And Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
